Automatic switch-signal



N O S N I K. L I W L A m d 0 M 0 m AUTOMATIC SWITCH SIGNAL.

Wizlzesses.

N. PETERs PholoLiflmmphm. Washington D c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT 'Orr ce.

ALGERNON L. WVILKINSON, OF HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA.

AUTOMATIC SWITCH-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 289,739, dated December 4, 1883,- Application filed June23, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALGERNON L. WVILKIN- soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Huntsville, in the county of Madison and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Switch- Signals, of which the iollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic railroadswitch signals, whereby danger -signals are displayed at any desired point in opposite directions from the switch.

The object of my invention is to Warn the engineer on approaching trains of an open switch, or that the switch is turned to register the rails of the main line with the rails of the siding, and to display said danger-signals at the proper heightfrom the ground, and at such a distance from the switch in opposite directions that the approaching train may be brought to a stop before reaching the switch. Another object is to so connect the signals with the rails that they cannot be moved to the siding without displaying the danger-signals. I attain these objects by means of the peculiar construction and arrangement of the various parts of my device, which will be more fully pointed out and described in the specification and claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in the several figures of which similar letters refer to similar parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my invention, certain parts being shown in section, and the rails of the main line being represented as registering with the side rails. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same, showing signalshafts in position to indicate the main track clear.

Referring to the drawings, A and A represent the main-line rails of a railway-track, and B the side rails. An ordinary switch-frame, I), having a pivoted switch-bar, N, is secured to one end of the long tie a in the usual manner. A cross-bar, c, is secured to the under side of rails A, near their ends, and a connecting-rod, b, connects the lower end of bar I) with said crossbar c.- A box, G, is secured to the outer end of the tie a, within which are pivoted, one above the other on the same bolt or shaft, two pulleys, d and d. Two chains, 0' and a", are attached to a rail, A, at or about the outer end of bar 0, said chains passing into box G about the pulleys d and cl in opposite direc- 6 and a made fast to the vertical shafts, which hold the signal-plates, the latter being usually colored white on one side and red on the other, for readily distinguishing them.

D indicates the vertical shafts holding the signal plates D, each of said shafts resting in a socket in a tie, on which rests the casing O,

or in a socket in the bottom of said casing.

Each of the plates 6 ande is triangular in ,form, (except that its outer edge forms the segment of a circle,) and is rigidly attached at its inward angle or corner to the signal-shaft D, the outer or curved edge of the plate being grooved to receive a chain connecting one corner of the plate with the rod extending .to

box G, as seen in Fig. 1. A coiled spring, f

f, is attached to each of the signal-shafts D, and also to casing O in such a manner as to turn the shaft against the tension of the rods (1 and d when the rails A are shifted to register with the side rails. ing reduced upward extensions 0, inclose severally the lower part of each signal-shaft and attachments, as shown, the shaft extending through an aperture in the top, and the easing having an aperture for the connectingchain, so that the parts inclosed are properly protected from the weather'and from being illjured or having their operation obstructed.

The operation is as follows: When the operator, through switch-bar b and bar 0, moves 9o rails A to register with the side rails, the rods and chains connecting rails Awith the angular plates on signal-shafts are drawn and turn the shafts, so that the signal-plates are turned from their position in line with the 5 main line of rails to positions at right angles thereto. When the switch-rails are moved back to register with the rails of the main line, the signals D are immediately returned to their first positions by the springs f and f acting on the shafts D and turning the same, the plates 6 and 0 moving with the shafts and The casings G, hav- 8o drawing the connecting-chains, the parts of which next to the angular plates sink in the grooves and are held in proper position.

The simple construction of the shafts with 5 grooved angular plates and actuatingsprings f and f renders the operation of the device more prompt and certain.

I claim- 1. In a railway switch signal device, a 10 switch-bar and switch-rails, in combination with connecting rods and chains, substantially as shown, the vertical signal-shafts provided with grooved angular plates 0 and 6 and coiled springs f and f, all constructed sub- 5 stantially as and for the purposes described.

ALGERNON L. WILKINSON.

WVitn esses H.'J. ENGLAND, D. 1?. HOLLOWAY. 

